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Recently I have been sharing postcards of Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex on my blog. Yesterday I mentioned that people have been visiting Beachy Head for decades, and one of those people was my 2x great-uncle Percy Ebenezer TROWER.

In one of his diaries he records an excursion on the 30th June 1928, presumably by coach or bus, from Brighton (B’ton) with his future wife Kate (K). They were married five years later in 1933.

Sunday July 1/28

Yesterday K & I went to B’ton by the 1.33 bus & then took a trip to Eastbourne 2.50 till about 6. A fine day but very windy. We went to Beachy Head & thence to Eastbourne & home through Lewes. The journey through Newhaven I preferred where we are nearly always within sight of the sea. These & similar facts are written for perusal many years hence when scenes have changed. This is a record of a pleasant afternoon that my love & I spent when she was 18 & I 30. I may in years to come live again our ride by the sea on that windy day in June when K was still a girl in her youth & freshness.

Beachy Head, ’twas 10 years, ten years since I last saw you, – in 1918 – during my sojourn at Summerdown Camp. Many faces, many happenings come again to memory, memories of ten years ago, memories of unsettled years, memories of days gone for ever. They were [unreadable] sad days but many happy memories remain. How well I remember my scottish companions of my marquee, & their scottish accents.

But I must get to bed & sleep.

Summerdown Camp was the army convalescent hospital on the outskirts of Eastbourne where Percy spent a month recovering from a gun shot wound received during the First World War, but that is another story (and another collection of postcards).

The route from Brighton and Eastbourne is one of my favourite bus journeys. There is a regular bus service that stills runs “nearly always within sight of the sea”, offering some spectacular views of the coastline and countryside alike from the top of a double decker bus. There is a slightly different service at weekends, that actually takes you right up to Beachy Head if you don’t fancy the walk. Details are available from Brighton and Hove Buses website (services 12 and 13X).